The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1887-10-07
FREE GRACE
DIVINE SERVICES IN THE BROOK.
LYN TABERNACLE.

Il esAAA "H bNA N0AtIAtt0 ttaA b~~A tAsAao ~ VIZ
Brooklyn tabernacle. An adjoined lecture
room has been built so that during the week
it Is used by itself, but on the Sabbath it Is
thrown into the main auditorium and filed
by those sitting or standing. Notwithstand-
| ing the enlargement the crowds that go
away not able 70 get inside the building are
greater this fall than ever before. Today
the pastor explained appropriate passages Of
Scripture Professor Browne rendered upon
the organ the First Sonata in d minor,
Ritter The text of the sermon was from
II Corinthians, viii, 0: "Ye know the grace
OF our Lord Jesus Christ, that, though he
was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor"
DR.. Talmage said:
That all the worlds which ON q cold win
ters night make the heavens one great glitter
are inhabitantless is an absurdity. Philoso-
piers tell US that many Of these worlds are
too hot, or too cold. or too rarefled OF atmo-
sphere for residence. But, il not fit for
human abode, they may be At for beings diff
ferent from and superior to ourselves We
are told that the world of Jupiter is changing
until it is almost fit for creatures like the
human race, and that Mars would do for the
human family with little change in the
structure of the respiratory organs. But that
there is great world swung somewhere, vast
beyond imagination. and that it is the head
quarters of the universe and the metropolis Of
immensely, and has population in numbers
vast beyond all statistics and appointments
of splendor beyond the capacity OF canvas, or
poem, or angel to describe, is as certain as
the Bible is authentic. Perhaps some Of the
astronomers with their big telescopes have
already caught glimpse Of it, not knowing
what it is. We spell it with six letters and
pronounce it heaven.
That is where Prince Jesus lived nineteen
centuries ago: He was the Kings son. II
was the old homestead Of eternity, and all its
castles were as old as God. Not a frost had
ever chilled the air. Not tear had ever
rolled down the cheek of one Of its inhab-
|. itants There had never been in it head
ache, or a sideache, or a heartache. There
had not been funeral in the memory Of the
Oldest inhabitant There had never in all the
land been woven black veil, for there had
never been anything to mourn over. The
passage of millions Of years had not wrinkled
or crippled or bedimmed any of its citizens.
All the people there were in q state of eternal
adolescence. What floral and pomonic bright
nessl Gardens of perpetual bloom and
orchards in unending fruitage. Had some
spirit from another world entered and asked,
What is sin2 what is bereavement what Il
sorrowl what is death2 the brightest of the
intelligences would have failed 70 give defini-
ton, though to study the question there were
silence in heaven for half an hour. The
Prince of whom speak had honors, emolu-
ments, acclamations, such as no other
prince, celestial or terrestrial, ever
enjoyed. As he passed the street, the
inhabitants took OF from their brows gar
lands of white lilies and threw them in the
way. He never entered any of the temples
without all the worshipers rising up and bow
ing in obeisance. In all the professions of
the high days he was the one who evoked the
loudest welcome. Sometimes on foot, walk
ing in loving talk with the humblest Of the
land, but at other times he took chariot, and
among the 10000 that David spoke Of his
was the swiftest and most flaming; or, as
when John described him, he took white pal
frey with what prance Of foot, and arch Of
neck, and roll of name, and CLEAN Of eye is
only dimly suggested in the Apocalypse. He
was not like other princes, waiting for the
father to die and then take the throne
When a few years ago an artist in Germany
made picture for the Royal gallery repre-
enting Emperor William on the throne, and
;he crown prince as having one foot on the
step of the throne, Emperor William ordered
The picture changed, and said: LET the
prince keep his foot of the throne till
leave it."
Already enthroned was the heavenly
prince, side by side with tLs Father What a
circle of dominionl What myrmidons Of ad.
mirersl What unending round of gloriesi
All the towers chimed the Princes praises.
OF all the inhabitants, from the center Of the
city, on over the hills and clear down to the
beach, against which the ocean Of immensity
rolls its pillows, the Prince was the ack nowl-
edged favorite. No wonder my text says
that "he was rlch." Set all the diamonds of
the earth in one scepter, build all the palaces
Of the earth in one Alhambra, gather all the
pearls of the sea in one diadem, put all the
values of the earth in one coin; the aggregate
would not express his affiuence. Yes, Paul
was right. Solomon had in gold e680, 600, 900
and in silver FL, O29, OOOST sterling. But q
greater than Solomon is here. Not the mill
lonaire, but the quadrillionaire of heaven. To
describe his celestial surroundings the Bible
uses all coloEs gathering them in rainbow
over the throne and setting them as agate in
the temple window, and hosting twelve Of
them into a wall from striped jasper at the
base to transparent amethyst in the capstone,
while between are green Of emerald, and
snow of pearl, and blue of sapphire, and yell
low of topaz, gray Of chrysoprasus, and fame
of jacinth. All the loneliness Of landscape in
foliage, and river, and rill, and all enchant-
ment aquamarine, the sea of glass mingled
with fire as when the sun sinks in the Medi-
/, | fha hill ~ iDuf,r
mental and vocal, harps, trumpets, doxo-
logies There stood the prince, surrounded
by those who had under their wings the
velocity of millions of miles in a second, rich
in love, rich in alteration, rich in power, rich
in worship, rich in holiness, rich as God.
But one day there was big disaster in a
department of Gods universe. A race falleni
A world in ruinsl Our planet the scene of
catastrophe! A globe swinging out into dark
ness, with mountains and seas and islands,
an awful centrifugal of sin seeming to over
power the beautiful centripetal of rightecas-
ness, and from it a groan reached heaven
Such a sound had never been heard there
Plenty of sweet sounds, but never an outcry
of distress or an echo Of agony. At that one
groan the Prince rose from all the blissful
circumference and started for the outCr gate
and descended into the night of Id
Out of what bright harbor into 'gh
seal "Sray with u.s." cried angel eel
and potentate after potentate. aid
the Prince, 81 cannot stay; | must be
of for that wreck of a world.
must stop that groan. must hush that
distress. | must fathom that way. | must
redeem those nations. Farewell, thrones and
temples, companions cherubic, seraphic, arch
angelica Excuse this absence, for ! viii
cc"e back again. carrying on my shoulder q
ransomed world. TIL this is done choose
earthly scott to heavenly reclamation, and q
cattle pen to a kings palace, frigid zone Of
earth to atmosphere of celestial radiance.
have no time to lose, for bark We to the groan
that grows mightier while wait. FAREWELL
| farewell
aye know the grace Of our Lord Jesus
Christ, that, though he was rich, yet for your
sakes he became poor"
Was there ever contrast SO overpowering
as that between the MONDAY of Christ's
celestial departure and the midnight Of his
earthly ARRIVAL Sure enough, the angels
were out that night in the sky, and especial
meteor acted as escort, but all that was from
other worlds, and not from this world. The
earth made no demonstration OF welcome If
one OF the great princes of this world steps
ou1 al uepot cneers resounu, ana the Dands
| play, and the flags wave. But for the arrival
OF this missionary Prince OF the skies not a
torch fiared, not a trumpet blew, not plume
futtered. All the music and the pomp were
overhead. Our world opened for him moth
ing better than barn door. The rajah Of
Cashmere sent to Victoria bedstead Of
carved gold and canopy that cost $3.50 900,
but the world had for the Prince Of heaven
and earth only litter Of straw. The crown
| jewels in the Tower of London amount to